A Different Side
by Car.Crash.Hearts.xoxo
Summary: Bethany was used to living her life isolated from everyone. When she gains the attention of two boys, she's shocked. Who will she choose? Bad boy Draco Malfoy or the Sweet, gentle Noah Conway? RxR Summary sucks
1. Stars and Surprises

Heyyyy! I wrote this on a whim, so tell me what you think :D I wanted to write a Draco Malfoy fic sooo here one is! Ignore any spelling and grammar mistakes please, I'm only human. I don't think there are many, but I mighta missed a few... Sooooo **RxR**!!!

* * *

Who is Bethany Kingham? That's a good question. She's the quiet girl in the back of the classroom. She's the girl that eats in the kitchen with the house elves, because she has no one to sit with in the Great Hall. She's the girl who's never had a detention in her life. She's the girl the sneaks out every night to cry up in the astronomy tower. She's the girl that no one gave a damn about; until _he _came along.

Who is Draco Malfoy? He's the boy all the girls wish they could date. He's the most wanted guy in the school. He's the star of the Slytherin Quidditch team. He's the boy that always picks on the first years in the corridors. He's the boy who abuses his power over people. He's the boy who wishes things were different. He's the boy who puts on a mask for everyone to see, everyday. He's the boy who wanted something real; and he found it with _her_.

------------------------------

The starry night sky blazed brightly, stars twinkling. Bethany Kingham sat, sniffling, up in the Astronomy tower. She stared up, frowning at the sky as a few of the stars twinkled and burned out. A lone drop of rain fell as if in slow motion in front of her and landed in the palm of her limp right hand. She sniffled a few times and wiped at her face with her other hand, staring down at the drop of water in her hand.

A scuffling of feet behind her forced her out of her trance and she scrambled to dry her face. "What do you want?" Her voice was raw, and it made her wince. She sounded so unattractive right now, and she was sure she looked it too. Picking herself up, she turned to face the stranger, hoping she looked a little decent. A pair of pale blue eyes met her copper ones.

"Oh, it's you." His gaze didn't waver. She watched him, cautiously, wondering what type of torture he was going to impose upon her tonight. For years she's endured his vocal mockery in front of everyone. He's the one who ostracized her from everyone. He's the one who made her life here at Hogwarts a living hell.

She folded her arms over her chest and let some tears fall. They had been threatening to spill over and she couldn't hold them back any longer. "What do you want?" She asked again, a little more forcefully this time. He blinked a few times, still not wavering with his gaze.

Bethany rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. Gliding over to the edge, she leaned over the stone railings and looked down. Now that he couldn't see her face, she let the tears free. A few more rain drops fell upon her, and soon it was drizzling. The sky was weeping with her. Moving away from the ledge, she hugged her torso tightly and began sobbing. She was soaked, and the only evidence of her sadness was her Rudolph red nose.

Her knees collapsed and she fell backwards onto her butt. Ducking her head, her sobs wracked her body hard. Chunks of her wet, brown hair clung to the back of her neck and her face. She had never known it was possible to feel this much sorrow at one time. All of the sadness seemed to pour from her as if she were the rain pouring from the sky.

A hand touched her shoulder gently and the warmth from another body touched her. She flinched slightly, and leaned away. His platinum blonde hair shone in the dim moonlight, and she could see it out of the corner of her eye. Shivering from the cold, she attempted to lean further away; his arm was keeping her from pulling away. The muscles in his arm rippled under the sleeve of his white shirt as he wrapped it around her and tugged her to his body. Warmth spread throughout her, and Bethany's body suddenly wasn't shivering as bad.

Her body continued to attempt to pull away, but he wouldn't allow it. His mouth began emitting soothing voices and she finally quit. His hand rubbed her shoulder and the hysteria bubbled up again. Turning towards him, she buried her face in her shoulder and shook with sobs. He wrapped his other arm around her and held her tightly, letting her cry.

About an hour later, Bethany pulled away. Using the sleeve of her red and white striped sweater, she wiped her face. It didn't help much, though, as it hadn't quit raining. Draco ran his hand from her shoulder up to her cheek. Slowly, he brushed some wet hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "You okay?" He whispered, as if she might shatter if he spoke to loudly.

Sniffling, she nodded and looked down at her hands. "Yeah, I'm fine now." Bringing her hand up, she covered her mouth as she hiccupped rather loudly. He smiled slightly as her face turned pink from embarrassment. His smile brought one of her own to her lips; she'd never seen him smile before. It suited him well. Why didn't he do it more often?

It was then that she noticed how close their faces were. Their lips were mere centimeters apart. The sudden urge to close that gap overtook her and her body began instinctively leaning closer. Shock spread over his face, but he didn't budge. A second later, Bethany gained control of herself and pulled back again.

"I should probably be getting back to the dormitory…" She muttered, knowing he could still hear her. Disappointment flooded his face and he nodded in agreement. Maybe she had imagined it, but he looked as if he didn't want her to go. A shock of happiness coursed through her; she was wanted.

"You're right…" He removed his arm from around her and swiftly stood up, offering his hand out to her. She hesitantly took it and he pulled her up. As she went up, her body catapulted itself at him; he had pulled too hard. To catch her balance, she wrapped her hands around his arms; he also grasped her waist. Glancing up at him, she pulled her chest away from his and cleared her throat. "Would it be okay if I walked you back to your common room?" His hands had detached themselves and were know stuffed into his pockets.

Bethany nodded and once again wrapped herself in her arms. He led her to the door and down the stair case. The cold air inside the castle was beginning to get to her and she began to shiver again. A moment later, Draco had her bundled in his arms again. She peeked up at him, surprised, and smiled. Lightly, she bit her bottom lip. Part of her was excited, the other part curious.

The long walk back to the Gryffindor common room gave her time to think. What was he up to? Every chance that he got, he would torment her in front of practically the whole school. Why the sudden change? A wave of disappointment was dumped on her as she realized he probably felt pity for her. He had found her looking like a wet dog and maybe felt guilty. This was his good deed of the month to him. Her face fell as she peered up at him again. This time, he looked down at her.

He didn't look at all like the evil, nasty, bastard that he usually was. His face glowed of innocence and some vulnerability. His eyes shone with fear and something else. Puzzled, she returned her gaze to the ground. What else did she see in his eyes? It was something she couldn't put her finger on; most definitely it wasn't something a Malfoy usually felt.

Yawning, she noticed him switch his gaze back to the corridor ahead of them. His arm tightened around her shoulder, resulting in her body pressing more against his. Rolling her eyes, she pulled back just a little bit. He chuckled under his breath.

The silence stretched on between them, but it wasn't awkward. To Bethany, it felt right. Who knew Draco Malfoy was good company? Hurtling out of her thoughts and back into reality, she realized they had reached the Fat Lady portrait. Moving his arm away, he stepped back from her.

Smiling slightly at him, she murmured, "Thanks Draco.." He nodded, folding his hands behind his back. Giving a small wave, she turned back to the portrait and stated the password quietly so he wouldn't hear.

Her foot had barely stepped through when he called out to her. "Hey Beth?" She turned, astonished. He had never called her anything other than foul names or Kingham. "Goodnight." He smiled at her. Before she could respond, he turned on his heel and sauntered away towards the dungeons. She watched him go until he had turned a corner and was no longer in view.

Heading up to the girls dormitory, she thought back to the events of tonight. Draco Malfoy had showed her a side that she'd never seen during their 6 years here at Hogwarts. She'd never seen anything other than the cruel side of him. Once in the dorms, she changed into her pajamas and got into her four poster bed slowly. Her hair was still wet from the rain.

Smiling, she closed her eyes. Bethany had a feeling that some things were going to change in her life, very soon.


	2. The BrownHaired Boy

Chapter 2: The Brown-Haired Boy

The bright sun shining through the curtains of the girl's dormitory is what awoke Bethany. She blinked a few times, disoriented, and stretched her arms over her head. Smiling, she re-thought the events of last night. Was it all a dream? Or had Malfoy actually acted human?

Rising from her four-poster bed, she grabbed her school uniform. Heading off to the showers, she didn't try to duck away from the rest of the Gryffindor girls. As she continued through her morning shower she let her thoughts wander. She was curious to see if anything had changed between them; somewhere in the back of her mind, however, she was sure nothing was different. There was no way a Malfoy would be that kind to a Gryffindor nobody in public. Last night would be their little secret, most likely.

Sighing, she finished up in the showers and threw her uniform on. Surveying herself in the mirror, she frowned slightly. Her appearances never really bothered her before; although she never did anything with her hair or make-up. Looking thoughtful, she ran a comb through her hair before pulling it up in a loose bun. Smiling, she took her wand out and ever-so-slightly raised the hem of her skirt a tiny bit. Applying a touch of make-up to even out the blemishes, she smiled to her reflection.

Today was the day that she would change. No more would she hide from everyone; no longer would she be an outcast. Practically skipping, she grabbed her books and her bag and left for the Great Hall for some food.

Right as she had reached the doors to the Great Hall, a hand roughly grabbed her upper arm and dragged her in the opposite direction. She didn't even have to look to see who it was; she knew his touch anywhere. Biting her lip and holding back the tears, she allowed her brother, Brendon Kingham, to drag her off down a darker corridor. Fighting back would only cause her more pain.

"Why the hell are you wearing all that make-up? Trying to look like a skank?" His words stung as she was shoved against the stone wall. "Fucking go back to the dorms and take the paint off." His eyes narrowed at her and he almost resembled a snake; no wonder he was a Slytherin. "I don't want to be known as the older brother of the girl who looks like a whore."

Her shoulders sagged as some tears escaped. After all these years of her parents and his abuse, she had learned just to listen and abide; it wasn't as bad in the long run. Nodding her head, she lowered it so he couldn't see her tears. It would just be another reason for him to get upset with her. The upper of her back throbbed as he pushed her one last time and stalked off. Any good mood that she had been in was now soiled.

The sound of footsteps echoing down the hall made her quickly wipe her tears away. Surely most of the make-up had been cleaned off by the tears by now. Keeping her head down, she headed back in the direction of the stairs.

Another hand touching her made her jump away. The only difference was this hand was gentler. The arm attached to it wrapped itself around her and the familiar scent of vanilla that had enveloped her the night before. Sniffling, she let it consume her and moved her arms around his torso so she was hugging him. Looking up, she found those pale blue eyes, filled with concern.

"This is the second time in a row you've found me crying…" She murmured, burying her face in his robes. He chuckled and loosened his hold on her.

"May I inquire why you've been crying in the first place?" She stiffened and shook her head. He gazed down at her in curiosity, pulling away from her embrace. "That's understandable. Well, keep your head up." He smiled slightly at her. "I don't want to catch you crying again. Be strong with whatever it is." She suddenly felt cold, missing the warmth of his body against hers. She watched, disappointed, as he turned and strutted away. The next moment, his pack of Slytherin friends rounded the corner and joined him. With them sneering in her direction, they ambled away to the Great Hall.

After rushing to the lavatories to take the remaining make-up off and to fix her skirt to its regular length, Bethany hurried to Potions class; surely she was going to be late. Just as Professor Slughorn had finished taking roll, she burst through the doors panting. Accepting her excuse of finishing a Transfiguration paper, Slughorn ushered her to a table in the back. Ignoring the Slytherin jeers, she rushed to the table and plopped into her seat.

"Hello." A voice projected from her left. Turning to face her new partner, she was surprised to see an incredibly handsome boy. He was obviously in her year, and his robes suggested that he was a Slytherin. Instantly she became guarded, ready for the insults to begin.

"Hi.." She muttered, turning her head away. As the Professor dropped a copy of instructions for a potion on their table, she whispered a polite thank you.

"Now class, today we will be having ourselves a little competition!" By the end of his sentence, his voice had raised in excitement. "Each of you has a different set of instructions for different potions. Whoever finishes theirs first and it's high enough to my passing standards, each of you will receive a vial of Amortentia, which is an incredibly strong draft of a love potion."

Glancing down at the parchment, Bethany read the title of their potion aloud for her partner to hear, "Forgetfulness Potion."

For the first time, she made eye contact with the boy next to her, "I'll collect the ingredients if you'll set up." He eyed her thoughtfully before agreeing. Sliding from her chair, Bethany went to collect the items.

Quickly returning, she dutifully got to work with crushing the flower petals. Watching her with little interest, the boy looked up from the cauldron of water he was slowly boiling. "I'm Noah Conway, by the way." Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she was some-what shocked. Most Slytherin's she encountered didn't want to ever speak to her unless it was strings of insults.

Pausing with the flower petal crushing, she turned her head to face him. Offering a small smile, she spoke for the second time, "I'm Bethany Kingham." When he held out his hand she grasped it loosely and gave it a small shake. Grinning at her, he returned to the boiling water.

"Well, Bethany, this is ready whenever the petals are." He gestured to the cauldron, knocking his hand against it. Nodding, she gingerly picked up the remains of the petals and tipped them into the pot. A gust of white smoke shot upward, causing the two to begin coughing fits. Swatting the smoke away, Bethany chuckled. The corners of Noah's mouth twitched upward in response.

The rest of the class went by fairly fast. Although they didn't win the love potions, the two had fun. Bethany didn't remember a time when she had smiled that much. As they exited the classroom, Bethany bid her goodbyes and headed off in the direction of her next class, Divination.

"Hey, Bethany! Wait up!" Abruptly stopping in the mass of students, she turned to face Noah.

"Yes?" Her eyes narrowed in confusion. It was one thing for a Slytherin to talk to her during a class, but on his own accord outside of the classroom? This boy was odd.

"I was just wondering if I could accompany you to Hogsmeade this weekend." He was slightly out of breath from pushing through the crowd to catch her.

Shocked, Bethany's mouth gaped open. A few people snickered at her as they passed but she could care less right now. "Yes!" She blurted out, suddenly aware of how idiotic she probably looked. Relief graced Noah's face and he grinned toothily.

"Great, how about we meet at the doors then?" She nodded, unable to contain her smile. As he walked away, excitement bubbled within her and she began to giggle like mad. Today had just turned for the better.

Bethany danced throughout the rest of the day and to her other classes. Her brother pulled her aside again to inform her that she was acting like an idiot and it was embarrassing to him, but it didn't faze her. By the time dinner came 'round her mouth was aching from her smiling.

As she headed to her usual spot at the end of the Gryffindor table, she was happily surprised to find the body of a brunette boy occupying her seat. Hugging her books to her chest, she timidly approached him. "Hello Noah." She still wasn't fully comfortable around him, but she could see herself getting there. Her people skills hadn't been fully developed yet.

He grinned at her, "Hey Beth. I hope you don't mind if I keep you company." It was a statement, but she could hear his polite question in his tone. Nodding, she smiled and sat next to him.

"How did you know I sit over here?" This end of the table was mostly vacant and no one ever really paid must attention to it; that's why she liked it. Here, she could escape the spotlight and attention of others. Now though, she liked his attention. A warm feeling swelled in her gut and for the first time in her life, she felt content.

Shrugging, he passed her a bread roll. "I've seen you over here before. Just because you sit away from everything doesn't make you invisible you know." He teased her, turning his full gaze on her. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she felt her face heat up. She hadn't been aware that anyone noticed her, let alone an attractive Slytherin boy. "Why do you hide?" His tone held genuine curiosity when he asked.

Swallowing the rather large helping of mashed potatoes she had taken, she shrugged. "I'm used to hiding. Being put in the spotlight doesn't appeal to me. Plus, there's more of a possibility of getting hurt…" She said the last bit quietly, but he still heard.

"Sounds awfully lonely." He observed, blinking at her. She grimaced and nodded her head, suddenly not hungry anymore. Placing her hands on the table she sat quietly. Placing his hand on hers, he squeezed lightly. Looking up, surprised, she came face to face with Noah. Painfully aware of how close they were, she felt the urge to close the gap between their lips. Parting her lips, she wet them and gazed down at his. His voice broke her out of her trance. "Well, you aren't alone anymore."

His words soothed her and she couldn't help but smile at him. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she felt content again. As of now, she was still broken, but hopefully this boy could change that. Maybe, she would let him in at some point.

Across the large room, a pair of blue eyes stared icily at the two; how dare Noah move in on his territory. Malfoy had specifically told the boy to back off the other day when he had shared his thoughts on Bethany. How dare he mess with a Malfoy.


End file.
